Maturana Parellon Natural Semillon 2024 (Chile) - Wine Review

After enjoying the lovely 2022 Maturana Puente Austral Gran Reserva Carmenère earlier this month, tonight's wine review is another fine and unique white wine crafted with Semillon that arrived at the LCBO earlier this month as an Online & Flagship Exclusive in the March 7th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

Maturana Winery is a family-owned boutique winery that was established in 2010 after the great earthquake in Chile by the Maturana brothers, José Ignacio and Sebastian. The brothers had a great passion for viticulture and wine, and after the earthquake they decided that there was no time to waste in pursuing their passion.

The identity of Maturana is centred around innovation, differentiation, fair price, passion, rescue of heritage strains, and quality. They use innovation to capture the essence of each variety and specific location to bring them to their fullest potential by using diverse materials such as concrete in various sizes and shapes, clay amphorae, and French oak. Because Chile's wine industry has developed in the same way for decades, in a traditional and classic manner, Maturana welcomes the opportunity to be different. While supporting the natural management of vineyards, Maturana also responsibly pays their growers at a more-than-fair price of seven times the market price per kilo. Passion is the drug that keeps Maturana motivated, along with their commitment to showcasing old vineyards in central Chile, with some vineyards dating back to 1900. At the end, their mission is to produce wines of the highest quality, while also creating something unique.

Like the 2023 Maturana Naranjo Torontel Orange Wine I enjoyed last year, this wine is also one of Maturana's unique offerings. It is crafted with 100% Semillon that was grown in old vineyards in the Colchagua Valley Coast, in Paradones area in central Chile. It is uniquely crafted with 25% of the wine remaining in contact with its grape skins for four and a half months. Furthermore, 75% of the wine was aged in third-use French oak barrels for four and a half months.

The growing season in 2024 began with a very wet winter due to El Niño, which also contributed to a cool spring in the central regions. However, the lack of any summer heat spikes allowed for slow, even ripening and higher than normal acidity levels. From a high-quality vintage, let's see how this 2024 Semillon from Chile is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

MATURANA PARELLON NATURAL SEMILLON 2024 - DO Valle de Colchagua Costa, Chile (#15745) (XD) - $28.95
The medium-high intensity nose has rich and concentrated aromas of ripe lemon citrus, grapefruit, toasty vanilla, and spice with touches of blossom, honey, and leesy notes. It's medium-full bodied on the dry and slightly creamy palate with lovely honeyed, lemon citrus, floral blossom, and melon flavours with leesy, smoky, and vanilla undertones. Touch spicy on the textured mid-palate, along with juicy and succulent acids. Spice and citrus notes taper to leesy and smoky minerals on the long, crisp, and juicy finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90+ pts

Other fine wines by Maturana can be ordered through their Agent - KOLONAKI Group of Companies.